Pathmanabhaswamy temple: B vault to be opened later

New Delhi: Kerala’s Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple’s unopened B vault shall be opened only after the treasures of the other vaults are categorized and documented, said Supreme Court in its verdict today. It also said that vault B of the temple will not be opened till an integrated and multi-layered security cover is provided.

The court also reviewed the security provided at the temple by the Kerala government and has demanded the removal of all shops and offices of political parties from the temples larger complex.

The apex court also asked for the inventory of the assets found so far to be completed at the earliest. “The expert committee should go ahead with the preservation and conservation of other vaults, “said the Supreme Court. A committee of experts has been appointed by the court to supervise the process. The court wants the state government to strike a better deal with the company that will provide archiving services.

The SC rejected the plea to hand over temple’s security to CRPF and directed state government to provide foolproof cover. The temple is supposed to provide Rupees 25 lakhs per year for security and expert committee expenses.